7/30/2019 Shadows of Kelynek - Extract 3.5.13, PDF

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The Shadows of KelynekVersion 1 03/05/2013

By Andrew Horigan

Chapter I

Moonlight cascades into the library. Illuminating the old room for a few moments before a cloud swallows

the orb whole. The room in dark again, silent and still. A few hours later the door opens and in steps a manholding a lit candle stick. He looks around the room, nothing had changed. The man advances into the

library, as the library belongs to him. He strolls along the vast number of isles and shelves and books,

passing the various sections, sciences, ethics, fiction and cartography.

After the repeated tour, he sits down at his desk, strewn with papers and pens and ink pots and pencils. He

sets down the candle and begins to tidy the documents and stationary away. He removes his green tinted

glasses and polishes them with his breath and a nearby cloth, then quickly returns them to his face.

Though the room may be full of books and volumes and manuscripts, he still feels empty. Staring at the

candle, it slowly melts and burns, flickering to his delayed breaths. The room still feels empty. Then a

curious noise is heard, a sliding noise, of paper against wood, shortly followed by a thump. The Inspector

inspects this odd addition to his silent library. He aims at where the noise was created, not the sciences, nor

the ethics or the fiction, then at the back of his library, sat on the floor was a book. A small book. With wellworn edges and battered corners. Two feet then halt by the book and it is picked up and lifted for

inspection. 'Tabitha Riley's Collection of Short Stories' in printed on the front. His hands tight around the

book momentarily then the man looks to the fallen book's origin, it was fairly low down, only 4 feet from

the ground. He begins to return it but his hand stops. He lets the book open freely in his hand; The Princess

and the Pageboy. He shuts the book firmly, quickly returns it, collects his candle and leaves children section.

The candle light dims in the library and the door is closed behind. The man begins to ascend his staircase to

ready himself for bed, when a bell tickles. He stops in his tracks, slowly turns around and begins to head for

the front door. Passing the grandfather clock in the hallway it chimes four times. On the floor by the front

door is a slightly crumpled envelope, with the inscription 'Inspector E. Vaughn' on the front. He takes it to

his study and places it on his desk. Who could of delivered this at such an unsociable an hour? TheInspector knew, only one would be roaming the streets at this time of night. He lay back in his black leather

chair and picked up the letter, on the back was a crimson wax seal, hexagonal in shape with 3 anticlockwise

arrows surrounding a triangle The seal of the Syndicate. A silver letter opener slices through the envelope

and reveals its contents: A single note, hand written, and on it; Pack your bags. Prepare for wet weather. Air

station under the hanging clock. Midday January 15th.

"The cheeky thickerd!" He exclaimed, he looked at his diary, today was 15th. He had 8 hours to collect his

belongings and sort out his affairs before heading out to goodness knows where. Sleep was in order first,

without sleep temper and patience would certainly be shortened and a scalding for a certain someone

much more likely. So up to bed he heads. Undresses and settles in for what's left of the night, places his

glasses on the side and out goes the candle.